Caseville increases water, sewer rates

Published 2:53 pm, Friday, April 22, 2016

CASEVILLE- Local village council members Monday voted to increase water and sewer maintenance and repair charges by an average of 5 percent.

Caseville Village Councilman Wayne Hazzard said certain maintenance has been lacking, and council was advised by its auditor to increase rates to address this matter.

During the board’s regular meeting Monday, council voted to increase the water operation’s maintenance and repair charges on quarterly water bills by 12 cents per 1,000 gallons. The increase will result in the residential rate increasing from $2.38 to $2.50 per 1,000 gallons, and the commercial rate increasing from $3.61 to $3.73 per 1,000 gallons.

The increase to the sewer operation’s maintenance and repair charge is 22 cents per 1,000 gallons. The former rate was $3.28 and the new rate will be $3.50 per 1,000 gallons.

Village officials said the increases only pertain to village ratepayers. The increases will become effective April 1, 2010, and will be reflected on the July 1, 2010 utility bills.

In other business during Monday’s Caseville Village Council meeting, the board accepted the preliminary Fiscal Year 2011 budget, and scheduled a public hearing to review the proposed budget and set a proposed general operation millage of 10.97210 mills. Council noted this is not an increase from last year’s millage rate. The public hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 at the Caseville Village Hall.

Also on that evening, council scheduled a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. to review the proposed Fiscal Year 2010-11 Downtown Development Authority budget and set a proposed millage of 1.4326 mills, which is the same rate as last year, village officials said.

Also during Monday’s meeting, council:

• Voted to establish a Health Reimbursement Account for village employees prescription drug medical insurance, and add an additional $2,000 deductible $10-$60 drug co-payment plan after $4,000 to the Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance currently in effect. Councilman Al Mason said the move will save $14,000 in the coming premium year.

• Approved a motion to allow the Department of Public Works to paint the Main Street bump out curbing with a safety color, starting next year. DPW Supervisor Dave Quinn said the cost will not exceed $1,000. “(It will be) more like under $500 probably,” he noted.

• Discussed creating a society to help raise funds and work on improvement projects at the Caseville beach. Huron County Commissioner Clark Elftman and Mason said a meeting already has been held between village officials and representatives from the Huron County Road Commission to begin exploring this idea. Elftman said the idea is to build the beach back up so it resembles what it used to be many years ago. He added the village needs the cooperation of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Natural Resources to achieve that goal.

• Announced there will be a series of informational meetings held to answer questions regarding the city charter. The first informational meeting is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Village Hall. Other meetings are planned at the hall for 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 11, 6 p.m. until the council meeting on Feb. 8 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 18. Council also created a City Charter Information Committee for the purpose of informing village residents about the proposed Caseville City Charter and to raise public awareness of its contents. Village officials stressed that voters on Feb. 23, 2010 will be voting to adopt the charter, not voting on whether the village should become a city. Officials said residents already voted to become a city, and this next election solely is on adopting the charter. If the charter is not adopted during February’s election, the village will have roughly three more chances to revise the charter and get it on a ballot for adoption, said Deputy Clerk Jacqueline Finneren following Monday’s meeting. That is because elections can only be held on certain dates of the year, per state law, she said. After February, there are only three elections left until the village’s three-year window to adopt a charter has been closed. That three-year window began in September 2006 when the State Boundary Commission approved Caseville becoming a city, Finneren said.